Costs Of Road Accidents Research Articles

Internalizing External Accident Costs in Safety Investment Evaluation Using Cost–Benefit Analysis

The primary objectives of transportation system development in European countries include improving transport efficiency, enhancing national economic competitiveness, and promoting sustainable mobility. A key aspect of achieving these goals is the evaluation of transport externalities, particularly external accident costs, which is critical for ensuring the economic and social sustainability of road transport development. This study comprehensively evaluates external road accident costs and proposes an innovative approach to internalizing these costs through a cost–benefit analysis (CBA). By integrating these external costs into CBA, policymakers can better understand the societal impact of road safety investments, allowing for more informed decisions regarding measures to reduce road accidents and fatalities. This paper also explores the role of specific safety investments, such as installing vehicle restrain systems (VRS), buffers, and terminals on the national road network, as well as installing speed cameras, in reducing accidents and mitigating external costs. The findings highlight road safety measures’ importance in enhancing economic efficiency and social well-being, providing a solid foundation for the sustainable and efficient development of transportation systems.

Automatic Accident Avoidance System

Abstract: As much as road travel has improved lives for the better part it also has proposed many challenges. Along with taking lives of those if countless people it also has been an economic burden on the country, in India the cost of road travel accidents in 2019 was estimated to be 12 billion USD. Along with loss of lives, serious injuries, damage to public infrastructure and with huge financial burden on the tax payers it becomes a major in road block in the urbanization of developing countries, a lot of the steps have been taken by the government regarding this issue including awareness among the general public about using the safety features present in their respective automobile, avoiding driving under the influence of substances, regulating the manufacturing standards of automobiles so they can withstand the damage and keep the passengers safe. But these steps are primary based on the presumption on the reliable decision making of the human driver. A lot more could be achieved by devising methods for accident prevention that don’t rely on human intervention. In this project we have devised a system that works automatically using an ATmega328mp microcontroller paired with an ultrasonic distance sensor that can detect the obstacles facing the automobile and can make a decision to warn the driver and if ignored can override the control of the human driver.

Sustainable pathways for mitigating externalities in long-distance terrestrial transport

International agreements and European policies emphasise the necessity to reduce transport externalities, particularly by focusing on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This reduction should align with improved accessibility to major urban areas, which is a goal explicitly associated with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). However, the correlation between these two objectives is not necessarily straightforward, as an increase in travel demand may contribute to the growth in transport externalities. This study economically evaluates the transport externalities generated along the Italian segment of the Brenner axis, which is the central part of the TEN-T Scandinavian–Mediterranean corridor. The aim of the analysis is twofold: (i) to ascertain whether the evolution of travel demand over the last decade aligns with European objectives on transport externalities; (ii) to project the expected effects to 2030 and 2040 under alternative scenarios. Existing data fail to reveal a clear trend, owing to fluctuating travel demands in recent years. Instead of indicating a generalised reduction in externalities, the data reflect a redistribution of costs among categories, with less effects from local pollutants and higher congestion and accident costs. The anticipated increase in travel demand is likely to exacerbate these externalities, thus further increasing road congestion and accident costs. This increase is not expected to be fully offset by the reduction in air and GHG emissions despite the enhanced efficiency of the vehicular fleet. The modal shift from road to rail, as well as the ongoing digitalisation processes, are imperative for effective road traffic management and reducing costs along the corridor.

Determinants of Road Traffic Crash Fatalities: A Case of Road Accidents in India, 2004–2018

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that influence deaths in road accidents in India. The study uses panel econometric methodologies such as the fixed effects model, random effects model, and Hausman–Taylor instrumental variable technique to achieve this goal. Unobserved heterogeneity between states/union territories (UTs) and time is accounted for by time-fixed and state-fixed effects. Based on the panel data set from Indian states/UTs for the period 2004–2018, the study confirms previous results that motorisation, population, urbanisation and income level are all potential contributors to road accidents and fatalities. It also shows that spending on health care and law enforcement appears to help the Indian states minimise mortality in road traffic accidents. On the one hand, spending on health care facilities can provide health-related assistance to persons who have been involved in traffic accidents; on the other hand, spending on police increases the enforcement of rules, resulting in a reduction in traffic accidents. Thus, to lessen the economic and financial cost of road accidents in the country, the government should focus on boosting both per capita health expenditure and per capita police expenditure. JEL Codes: C23, C26, H51, I18, L92, O18, R41, R42

Analysis of road accident causes in the voivodships in the years 2014-2021 in the aspect of socio-economic costs – towards the implementation of sustainable development

The article addresses the topic of road safety. The reduction of road accident injuries and fatalities fits in with Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals. The objective of the research was to assess road accidents caused by voivodships. The analysis took account of the socio-economic differences in the voivodships, which determine the unit costs of fatalities and injuries. A descriptive analysis is given to show the dynamics of changes in the years 2014-2021 in the voivodships and how different factors influenced change. The article analyses the relation between road safety and the region’s socio-economic development. Data availability determined the time series applied. As we know from research, accidents fall in relation to the (demographic) density of improved roads. Accidents increase, however, in relation to the density of population and GDP per capita. These relations take the opposite direction if the (demographic) fatality rate or accident severity rate (fatalities per 100 accidents) is the dependent variable. Socio-economic losses were estimated using Statistics Poland data. They are the indirect causes of road accidents which occur as a result of lost production due to premature death or incapacity. To value the unit costs of road accidents, the PANDORA method was used. The analysis helped to group the voivodships for their highest and lowest socio-economic costs of road accidents with a special focus on the unit costs of road deaths. The originality of the research is related to the updated voivodship level research.

Transport Safety in Road Traffic - The Condition and Preventive Measures as Assessed by the Respondents

Abstract The article presents basic definitions related to road accidents and types of tests carried out in the field of road accidents. The effects of road accidents on participants, drivers as well as social and direct costs of road accidents were discussed. The correct conduct of people involved in a road accident (incident) was presented. In the research part, the most common causes of accidents in Poland were analysed. Particular attention was paid to the participation in accidents of participants under the influence of alcohol. The article ends with a discussion on the presented research results and the resulting conclusions as well as a proposal for preventive actions to reduce the number of road accidents.

Road Safety Issues in India

Road safety mishaps are now considered a public health issue considering the economic and societal costs of road accidents. The victims are the face of the incidents; however, the costs are borne by their families, society, and countries. In this paper, we look at the need to bifurcate individual and authoritative responsibilities such that our roads become a safer place for all. We focus on India as the case study region and study the various government initiatives taken to improve the country's road safety. This research highlights the gaps and recommends necessary solutions to decrease road traffic deaths and injuries. Further, we investigate how the responsibilities must be shared amongst the various stakeholders, including the drivers and the leadership, placed at two opposite ends to balance the changing aspects of road safety. This paper aims to give recommendations for improving the road safety conditions in India per the local context by analysing the three key questions: What are the societal impacts of road traffic accidents? To what extent does individual responsibility matter, and why can road safety not rely exclusively on the drivers’ behaviour? How and where do the authorities’ responsibilities change the road safety dynamics?

The costs of road accidents in Poland

The article describes the problem of road accidents in statistical terms. The costs of road accidents were presented in a measurable and non-measurable context. Total and unit costs have been discussed.

Estimation of Socio-Economic Loss due to Road Traffic Accidents in India

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">India witnessed 151,113 road deaths in the year 2019 and this alarming number is due to increased urbanization, motorization and per capita income. India is home to the 2<sup>nd</sup> largest road network in the world and accounts for the highest number of road deaths globally. Curbing the menace of road accidents requires tactical road safety policies and their effective implementation. The meagre availability of factual data regarding socio-economic loss due to road accidents is proving to be a hindrance to the ideation and implementation of the policies. The Planning Commission estimated the social costs of road accidents to be 7.9 billion $ in 1999/2000 which was roughly 3% of the country’s GDP and this value was revised to 14.3 billion $ in 2011.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Absence of data regarding the loss due to road accidents in the recent times, has been a motivating factor to estimate the socio economic loss due to accidents on Indian roads. Road traffic accident casualties bring about a great deal of human suffering in terms of social, medical and economic costs. The data from in-depth accident databases, police records, medical, and insurance and government reports has been utilized to calculate the loss incurred.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">This realistic estimation brings out the magnitude of the loss to the eyes of the policymakers and public. The Human Capital (HC) method is used as the base method for evaluation of the socio-economic loss due to road accidents. The concept of Value of Statistical Life (VSL) and individual cost components from HC method are extended to the Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) and iRAP’s Rule of Thumb (RoT) methods. Irrespective of the method, the socio-economic loss for the year 2019 is estimated to be around 0.55% - 1.35% of India’s GDP. This reflects the paramount economic drag due to road casualties and highlights the importance of bringing in road safety policies to reduce road accidents, deaths and injuries. This study is one of the first to put the current accident figures in relation to the economic costs specifically for India and can be used as a basis for policy makers to further develop their studies to derive cost-benefit estimates for different measures.</div></div>

A Narrative Review of Trauma Care Delivery in India: Challenges and Opportunities

It is estimated that the cost of road accidents in India is around 3% of the Gross Domestic Product of the country. On average, 400 persons die daily in road accidents in India, and cities, such as New Delhi and the national capital region are on the top of the list of road accident causalities. Based on the Basilica agreement, the Indian government has initiated various policy changes and infrastructure development along the national highways which include the redesign of blindspots on the roads and the infliction of heavy penalties for the violation of traffic rules and compliances. On the academic front, the Indo-US Emergency Medicine forum has inaugurated an academic college for emergency medicine in India that cooperates with various government and private healthcare providers and policymakers for the improvement of emergency/trauma care delivery. Lately, few business schools and healthcare educational institutes have focused on interdisciplinary training and research centers in the area of emergency care delivery. Policymakers are also proactively working with various organizations to implement new rules and compliance mechanisms. This prospective study entails a detailed review of the literature using keywords in the PubMed journals, news articles, and media reports. Authors encountered studies in the area of trauma care delivery in India and other countries in their comprehensive field research. Almost 100% of the cases were medico-legal and only one case out of 100 was an insured patient. Furthermore, 87% of the cases were new and only 13% were review cases. Based on the conducted analysis, the number of accidents reduced across the country after the implementation of the New Motor Vehicle Act in the year 2019. It is worth mentioning that, the government launched awareness programs for the public as well. Some of the major challenges identified included lack of coordination and institutional mechanisms for an integrated emergency care delivery, poor referral processes, inadequate ambulance services, lack of third-party coordination, and poor in-hospital resources, particularly in public healthcare organizations. Apart from these, there was an acute shortage of trained emergency medicine experts at all levels. Trauma care delivery is a complex issue and its accomplishment requires good coordination and collaboration among stakeholders. The study identified various challenges and opportunities for the improvement of trauma care delivery in India. There is an immense need and opportunity for the modification of the emergency care delivery system through the introduction of appropriate changes in the transportation policy, emergency care delivery models, institutional mechanisms, such as referral process, and appropriate resource allocation at different levels of care delivery system.

Cost-benefit analysis of road accidents in the forestry sector

The forestry sector is faced with road accident which results in great cost to the company. The cost of road accidents against the cost of mitigating road accidents is not estimated. This paper compares the cost of road accidents and the cost of mitigating strategies of road accidents. Using a case study of two accidents that occurred in the forestry sector, it was seen that the cost of an accident is USD 86 948.16 while the cost of reducing the accident is USD 431 285.45. Initially, the cost of an accident is low as compared to the cost of reducing the accident. It however pays after 9 years of investment. This result shows that it is good to prevent accidents at all cost since the NPV is GH 618838.6 and the BCR is 1.248616.

Better Enforcement Is Essential, but May Be Inadequate: Findings of a Survey on the Factors Affecting Payment of Speeding Fines in Cape Town, South Africa

While a large body of research has established that effective enforcement of speeding laws is essential for reducing the economic and social costs of road accidents, some studies have suggested that interventions aimed at moral beliefs about speeding and peer-related and other social contagion effects may be important complements to law enforcement activities. This article presents tentative evidence of the complementary nature of interventions to influence moral beliefs and steps to strengthen the enforcement of traffic laws. It does this by presenting and discussing the results of a survey that elicited information about the attitudes of motorists in Cape Town regarding speeding fines and aspects of the administration of traffic laws in South Africa. The self-reported fine-paying behaviour of the respondents correlates with instrumental factors shaped by the effectiveness of enforcement actions (e.g., compliance and monetary costs) as well as normative factors influenced by the moral beliefs of drivers and their social groups as well as the perceived legitimacy of traffic laws and officials. Regression results also provide evidence of a statistically significant relationship between the respondents’ self-reported fine-paying behaviour and their moral beliefs regarding payment of speeding fines.

Willingness-To-Pay for Estimation the Risk Pedestrian Group Accident Cost

The proven willingness-to-pay with contingent valuation (WTP-CV) method is an effective tool for evaluating the cost of road accidents in many countries. In Thailand, the most fatalities on Thailand’s roads involve the vulnerable road users (VRUs) including motorcycle users, bicyclists, and pedestrians. With the effectiveness of using WTP-CV in analyzing the accident cost of motorcycle users and lack of specific accident cost for pedestrians, this research focuses on evaluating the accident cost on the pedestrians which is the second most VRU fatality. In this research, the road accident cost of pedestrians aged 15-39 years in Bangkok by WTP-CV method was determined. The WTP-CV questionnaire was employed as a tool to measure the payment of which each pedestrian is willing to pay to reduce the fatality and injury risk from road accidents. One thousand and two hundred pedestrians in Bangkok were interviewed. With the results, the value of statistical life (VOSL) for pedestrians in Bangkok is valued at US$ 0.43 million, while the value of statistical injury (VOSI) is estimated at about US$ 0.014 million, respectively. In addition, it is found from the regression analysis that for the fatality risk reduction, higher educational levels and private business pedestrians are likely to pay more to save their lives. In order to reduce the risk of injury, respondents, who are single in marriage status, are likely to pay more to reduce the risk of pedestrian injury. However, a high perception of safety is less likely to pay for the reduction of injury risk.

Statement of Retraction: cost of two-wheeler road accidents in India

Statement of Retraction: cost of two-wheeler road accidents in India

The impact of temperature, rainfall, and health worker density index on road traffic fatalities in Pakistan.

A road traffic accident is a burning issue because the cost of road accidents is about 2% of gross domestic product in Pakistan. This paper explores the relationship between health force density index, temperature, rainfall, road lengths, and road traffic fatalities in Pakistan from 1985 to 2016. The stationarity was determined with the help of four-unit root tests. The existence of long-run cointegration was determined by using the autoregressive distributing lag bound test. The vector error correction model showed the long-run causality of road traffic fatalities, which implies that road traffic fatalities were affected by selected variables in the long-run. The short-run unidirectional causality was running from road traffic fatalities to health force density index; temperature to health force density index; rainfall to health force density index; health force density index to rainfall; road traffic fatalities to high type road length; health force density index to high type road length; and temperature to high type roads. The reduction in road fatalities was 1.713% due to a 1% increase in health force density. But, road fatalities increase by 3.628% due to a 1% increase in temperature. The road fatalities increase by 0.255% and 0.485% due to a 1% increase in rainfall and high type road length, respectively. The governments should increase the number of doctors and nurses for the life-saving of an injured person. Due to the adverse impact of temperature on road safety, the government should formulate a comprehensive environmental policy in order to mitigate global warming. It is recommended to increase the forest area to reduce the level of emission. It is required to modify the system of transportation according to the guidelines of international transportation associations with respect to the quality and maintenance of vehicles, medical check-up of drivers, and construction of roads. Installation of speed cameras is also needed on high type roads to ensure road safety. It is also recommended to increase traffic law enforcement. It is difficult for the Pakistani government to effectively execute road safety plans due to the limitation of resources. However, the government should invest the revenue collected through tax violation fine for the improvement in road safety. It is also needed to invest in the health sector and up-gradation of the hospitals for the safety of human beings. The government should ensure the availability of the latest medical technology in the hospitals and the improvement of emergency services. It is required to develop coordination between various ministries such as transportation, planning, law, education, public health, and information. It is necessary to make the public aware of the social and economic cost of road accidents using electronic, print, and social media. Graphical abstract.

An index of sustainable economic welfare for Romania

This paper has the objective to develop an Index of Sustainable Welfare for Romania from 1990 to 2017, in order to more clearly establish the status of the Romanian economy in terms of economic welfare. The results show that whilst gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increased significantly, the ISEW per capita grew at a much slower pace. The value of household labour contributes strongly to the growth of welfare, but income distribution, costs of climate change, cost of road accidents and cost of air pollution limit an improvement of population economic well-being. Our new valuation approach confirms the general conclusion of most authors on economic development that, during last decades, welfare has shown little improvement in spite of a growing GDP. Our conclusion is that the ISEW provides a useful alternative to indicators such as GDP despite subjected to its limitations and criticism.
 Keywords: Economic welfare, GDP, ISEW.

MEASURING SOCIO-ECONOMIC COSTS OF ROAD ACCIDENTS: APPROACHES AND METHODS

The article reviews the issues of measuring the value of human life as well as the socio-economic costs of road accidents. The vast amount of car accidents and the high volume of road accident deaths reflect the relevance of this topic. According to research of international organizations, Russia’s road safety levels are close to those found in developing countries. This fact raises the need for developing a new policy on ensuring road safety based on scientifically objective measures of potential socio-economic effects. Namely, the article analyzes how the current approaches and methods for measuring the value of human life can be adapted to assess the effects of fatal road accidents. The author was able to establish the most significant losses that occur from car accidents as well as the most widely applied methods used to quantify these costs. The conceptual framework of these methods relies on the Value of Human Capital and Willingness To Pay approaches. Among the main challenges of implementing these frameworks in Russia, the author cites the lack of statistical data that can be used to conduct these assessments. As part of the literature review the author assessed both Russian and foreign academic papers, that have previously focused on the issues of measuring socio-economics effects in both developed and developing nations. By analyzing the best global practices on road safety measures, the author was able to establish the main shortfalls of Russia in this area. In conclusion, the author provides a set of recommendations on enhancing the current statistical evidence base and improving ongoing monitoring systems for assessing the socio-economic costs of road accidents.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Cost of two-wheeler road accidents in India

We, the Editors and Publishers of International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, have retracted the following article:Sivakumar Balakrishnan & Krishnamurthy Karuppanagounder (2019). Cost of two-wheeler road accidents in India. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion 26(2). DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2019.1576208.The above article has been retracted due to significant overlap in content with a Master’s Thesis entitled, “Estimation of Willingness to Pay Value for Crash Reduction,” by Geethu Ashok, 2015. The Thesis has subsequently been published as a book titled “Road Safety-Willingness to Pay for Crash Reduction” by Scholars’ Press in 2017 with ISBN: 978-3-330-65119-7. The authors have been informed of this decision and agree with the retraction.We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions.The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

Analysis of Direct Medical Expenses Resulting from Road Traffic Injuries in the City of Tabriz

Background: Road crashes as a major global public health problem cost 3% of most countries and 5% of low- and middle-income countries gross domestic product (GDP). The World Health Organization has predicted that without sustained action, road traffic crashes will become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the death rate, severity of injuries, and direct medical costs caused by road traffic injuries (RTI) in the city of Tabriz in 2014. Methods: Trauma injury admissions due to RTI in Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz City were investigated in terms of etiology and the direct medical costs during 2014–2015. Data were collected using a researcher-made checklist after being confirmed by relevant experts in terms of face validity. All information on direct medical costs are extracted from several sources including hospitals, database of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, disaster and emergency medical management center, and public and private physiotherapy clinics across the city. Results: Review of the hospital records showed that the mean age of the patients (67.9% males and 32.1% females) was 34 ± 17.3 years. In addition, 79.2% of the patients were treated on an outpatient basis, and 20.8% were treated on a hospitalization basis (hospitalization or death). The mean times of inpatient and outpatient hospitalization for injuries were 3 h and 6.7 ± 5.3 days, respectively. Total direct medical costs were 11.631 dollars, of which 8% was for hospital costs, 9.7% for pre-hospital costs, and 2.3% for physiotherapy costs. Chest and lower part injuries had highest medical costs. From etiological standpoints, the greatest reason of being injured and hospitalization is multiple injuries and bruises, and the prominent cause of death was blow to the head and neck (70%). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that direct medical costs in Tabriz during 2014-2015 were equal to 0.1% of GDP, which is a considerable amount. High economic and social costs of road accidents and their harmful physical and psychological effects on individuals and community require the attention of professionals and experts in the transportation industry and health-care system to determine appropriate strategies for interventions in reducing accidents burden and injuries.

Effects of Police Activities of the Mazovian Police in the Scope of Improving the Security of School Transport

Ensuring road safety is one of the basic statutory tasks set against the Police. Out of concern for the safety of the youngest road users, brought to educational institutions, the policemen of the Masovian Police from October 2017 to the end of June 2018 carried out activities under the name „GIMBUS”. These activities consisted mainly of checking the technical condition of vehicles and the sobriety and working time of drivers. They are an important instrument of actions aimed at improving the state of road safety in Poland, reducing the costs of road accidents and achieving the objectives of European transport policy. This article presents the results of the control activities carried out.